How 80s Music Changed Fashion- Hailey Brown

Fashion in the 1980s altered dramatically with the incoming new music.  “The artists of the 80s found that looking good, showing some skin, having an outlandish outfit or two, and/or wearing more makeup than a circus clown helped to make a lasting impression on impressionable record buyers” (Totally Awesome 80s).  You would see girls/women wearing tighter clothing, low cut shirts, big hair, bright colors, baggy pants, jeans, bright and colorful makeup, fake eyelashes, leg warmers, off the shoulder tops, and poufy dresses.  “Probably the biggest fashion trend of the 80s was jeans.  Women were wearing jeans now not for a political statement, but for a comfy pair of casual pants.  Early in the 80s they were tight, straight legged, creased, and as blue as the night sky.  But denim wasn’t appropriate for the night life” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Also, hair was teased, crimped, and even colorful.

 “Madonna’s uncompromisingly sexual image opened the floodgates for sex in music, videos, and even film” (Totally Awesome 80s).  Her outlook on life could be seen as a larger-than-life defiance, and that could be shown through her erotic videos and stage performances.  Madonna is at the top of all the reasons fashion changed in this decade.  She was every teenage girls idol, they all wanted to look just like her.  “Along with cable t.v. in ’87 came MTV, Music Television.  Enter Madonna.  This diva of pop-rock really rocked our world with 16 top 10 hits and 3 movies” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  To me, she has the most admired media personalities.

This is the time when blacks were finally gaining equality.  “The b-boy style of dress was baggy jeans and shorts, professional sports team gear, baseball caps turned backwards, and chains with huge gold pendants.  Their hair was short about the ears and tall on top” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Sweat/Jump suits and Spectator coats became quite popular.  Rock musicians of the 80s “all created their own fashion statements, including torn jeans, long hair, leather jackets, the 5 o’clock shadow, and headbands” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).  Men had longer hair, wearing leather pants, having the scruffy look, and not only men but women also, wore headbands/bandanas.  Tight jeans and studded belts also became very popular.

 “The decade came to a close with the re-emergence in popularity of leather bomber jackets, not for patriotic reasons, simply because they looked good.  And so another decade came to pass, along with its most popular styles” (A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s).

Bauer, Juliet C. "Cardinal Scholar: The 80s : A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s : An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499)." Cardinal Scholar: The 80s : A Study of the Factors Affecting Fashion in the 1980s : An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499). Wilma R. Ridgeway, 1 May 1992. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/189418>.

Rettenmuno, Matthew. "Totally Awesome 80s." Google Books. St. Martins Griffin, 1996. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en>.